But first, the background: in June, the International Air Transport Association unveiled its security "checkpoint of the future." In this space I wrote about its alluring, virtually hassle-free vision of airport security, farfetched as it might seem at present.

In such a world, passengers would be screened before arriving at the airport, identify themselves at security with biometrics (like a fingerprint), briefly encounter a behavioral specialist, then walk through a tunnel that checks for explosives and other hazards without passengers removing shoes, unpacking liquids or sending bags through x-ray machines.

An IATA spokesman said the redesigned security stemmed from the notion of looking for "'bad' people, not just 'bad' objects" — that is, a risk-based assessment of travelers rather than a "one size fits all" approach.

I turned to the TSA for comment, which was non-committal, and led me to guess (in print) that we wouldn't see such changes in American airports anytime soon.

It now looks as if the TSA was being coy. This fall the agency will test a "known traveler" program at airports in Atlanta and Detroit (through Delta Air Lines) and Miami and Dallas (through American Airlines) with other airlines and airports are expected to follow. About 5,000 to 8,000 passengers per day are expected to go through an expedited screening process that will, in theory, make the security experience faster and simpler.

The program will be open to some travelers enrolled in frequent flier programs, as well as U.S. Customs and Border Protection's trusted traveler programs. Travelers who wish to apply can do so through the airlines, though they won't know if they have been approved until reaching the airport.

All that said, TSA spokesman Jim Fotenos could not answer the most obvious questions: How much easier will life be? Will we be able to keep our shoes on? Can we carry liquids in greater than three ounce bottles? Can laptops stay in their bags?

"We're still developing what expedited screening will mean," Fotenos said.

Despite that letdown, it's encouraging to know that frequent travelers should see a thaw in the airport security line. It's even more encouraging that TSA — despite occasional missteps like the recent invasive search of a dying 95-year-old woman — is thinking proactively about improving a system that frustrates many.

When John Pistole, the former deputy director of the FBI, took the helm of the TSA last year, he, "brought a focus on counter-terrorism," Fotenos said.

"If this proves successful, it will let us focus our resources on higher risk or unknown passengers while expediting the process for lower risk or known passengers," Fotenos said. "We recognize that the vast majority of the nation's 628 million annual air travelers present little or no risk of a terrorist attack."

Among those who will benefit immediately are business travelers, he said: "It's a population we can get information on who have an extensive travel history."

However, he added that the system will "always include randomness and unpredictability so that terrorists can't look to game the system."

So, TSA, I apologize. Sort of. Get this right and in a few months, it will be a full apology.

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In 2006 (the most recent year statistics were available), the TSA …

… screened 708,400,522 passengers. The average wait time was 3.79 minutes and the average peak wait time was 11.76 minutes.